Elastic-fluid engine.



C. V. KEER. ELASTIG FLUID ENGINE.

APPLIOA'IIOI.v IILLD JULY 9, 1904.

940, 1 62. Patented Nov. 16, 1909.

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' IIb/imolaI @5. I v E came; riff ATTORNEY C. V. KEER. BLASTIG FLUID ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 9| 1904.

Patented Nov.l 16,v 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTO'R WfZwK'KeY/v' wlTNassEs: MMM@ ATTORNEY C. V. KEER. ELASTIG FLUID ENGINE. APPLICATION FILD JULY 9, 1904.

940, 1 62. y Patented Nv. 1 6, 1909. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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n A" t INVENTOR 'Uarle K Kr'* ATTORNEY iE'lG. 1

C. V. KEER.

ELASTIG FLUID ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1904.

Patented Nov. 16, 1909.

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y INVENTOR E Ch/'laf KQW BY MM/4 ATTORNE citizen of the United States UNITED sfrATEs PATEN -FBTICE'I camas' v. kann, or nurnnnronn, Naw annsny.-

ELASTICJLUID ENGINE.

specmomqn-or To all wwm 'it may concern:

Be it .known that I,- -CHARLES V. KERK, a

of America, and resident of Rutherford, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elastic-Fluid Engines, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to elastic fluid en Withoutregard to the .various scopes of "invention, which are attended to 1n the claims, the statement of my. invention is as folloWsz' The general organization consists of an elastic Huid turbine, a cooling chamber communicating therewith, a l combustion chamberv Within` said cooling chamber, pipes for conveying gas and air to said chambers, fluid compressors coupled to said turbine- 'and connected with said pipes, valves across said pipes, and a governor driven bv said turbine for operatin said valves only during changes lof loa and provided with means for holding said valves rigidly in the position'to which said governor adjusts them.

The invention is shown in all of its de- Vtails in theaccompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the general i organization, partly broken away to exhibit the interior. Ak` portion of the system below the licorv is indicated in diagram by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal vertical section on anenlarged scale of the construction shown in l, with certain rep eated portions omitted, and with'some por- 4 tions not in section, such as ftheshaft and some of the pipes.' F ig. 3 isa cross section of the upper part of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale, looking toward thel leftwith portions broken away to show the ,interior construction. Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged longitudinal vert`cal section of the governor. is an'end view of the air compressor, partly showing-the interior and exterior. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the-means for attaching the nozzles. Fig. 7 is a View of a bucket by itself. Fig. 8 isa horizontal section of a portion of Fig. 6,4at the lintJ A. B.

Referring tothe drawings, the device consists of an elastic fluid turbine 1,I a Icooling chamber 2, communicating with the turbine 1, a burner 3 in acombustion chamber 15.f

in the cooling chamber 2,-apipef1, 'for feedff f ing 'a' inixtureof combustible gasesl tov said@k .burner and having. .valves 7 and 8, controlling-said porjs, tubesJ to the pulley 27 depending on the speed at two inlet Aports. and 6 i Fig; 5- b Letterman.' patented Nov. 16, 1909.

9 and l0, respectively communicating with said ports, with the l'tube 9, an air'compressor 12 connecting with the other tube 10, a pipe 13 ex,- tending-from the air compressortothe tube 10, and communicating with the cooling issuing from a heat proof combustion chamber 15 surrounding the burner 3, a valve 16 vfor closing and opening the pipe 14, a rod 17 carrying the valves 7 8 and 16, a bevel wheel 18, on the rod 17 and adjustable thereon by a screwl 19 and a nut 20, the screw 19 being fastened to the Wheel, and thel nut 2O being fastened to the rod 17, .a sleeve 21 connecting two beveled pinions 22 and 23, adapted` to be moved, so that bothv areoutof engagement with the bevel wheel 18, or so that one pin 24 'fixed to' and sleeve radially, a loose collar 25 surrounding the sleeve 21, and having' a slot 26, through which asses the in 24, the slot 26 passin oblique y or s iral y around the collar, whic can not trave longitudinally of the sleeve 21. Thesleeve 21 is mounted on va shaft 35 which turnsin' bearings 36 and 37, an intermediate bearing 38 being provided about the sleeve 21 for supportin the shaft against lateral strain. splined upon the shaft so that it rotates therewith and is driven thereby, while at the same time having a longitudinal movement relative thereto, pinions .22 and 23 to engage alternately with thebevel-gear 18 aslabove described. On the shaft 35 between the bearings 36 and 38 is mounted a sprocket-pulley 27, also keyed to the shaft 35 and driving it, and being itself driven fromthe turbine-shaft 29 pulley 27 -carries a.

pivoted upon pins 32, collar 25 by means of links 34 having ivotal-connections with lugs 33 on said colar. The centrifugal action. of ,the weights 30 is opposed-by springs 31 mounted on the pulley 27 and pressing inward upon the free ends of the weights. The hub 39 of .the pulley bearing 38 to confine the collar 25 against longitudinal motion. The action of this de- '.vice obviously is to cause the collar 25 to be turned through a definite angle relative The s eeve 21 isa gas compressor 11, connecting 'y chamber by. an independent vpipe 14 .at'a point to meet the products of combustion- .9o causing the bevel y av sprocket chain'connection 28.'v The` J 'pair of .weights -30 and connected to the' 27 acts in connection with the.

-tion is such that when the pulley rotates at its normal ,velocityl the shaft 21 will occupy a centrall position so that neither of thepinions 22 and 23 engages with the gear 18' and the latter therefore remains stationary;

, and when the pulley 27 rises above its normal velocity the lsleeve 21 is moved in such direction that one of said pinions engages with the gear 18 and rotates the gear in such direction as to depress the nut 20 and j stem 17, thus closing the gas and burningair valves, andr diminishing the fuel supplied tothe engine; while when the.pulley 27 falls below its normal velocity the sleeve 21 is moved in the opposite direction and i the, other pinion engages .with the gear 18 the engine.

and necessarily rotates itin the opposite direction, thus raising the nut 20 and stem 17, andthus opening the lgas and burning-air valves and increasing the supply of fuel to A spark device 40 terminates within the combustion chamber 15 for igniting the mixtureof gas and air :trom the pipe 4.

The'shaft 29 runs all the way through the turbine and the air and gas compressors.

The y burner y3 is termlnated by a perforated plate 41, to prevent back iring, which however could not injure the compressors, as the combustible mixture extends only to the valves, 7 and 8.

The valve 16 is represented as a slotted sliding valve inside of the similar stationary slotted seat 42.

The mountings for the` vane-disks and the packing devices between vthe diierent stages of compression may be considered as not a part of the subject matter of this specication, as they are described in a separate application, together with some other details not necessarily involved in the general orn ganization. y H

portant construction of the nozzle support 1s shown in Fig. 6. The shell 43,-

, separating one stage of dynamic action from the next, has a hole 44 large enough for the bent nozzle to pass through, the latter having'a flange 46 resting around the hole 44 on the shell 43. This flange supports a ca e 47 for the entrance of the propelling Huid rom the chest 48 to the vanes .49. The outer shell. or casing 50, ofthe chest 48 has a hole big enough for the entrance of the cage 47 This cage is held against the shell 43 by a y i' flanged collar 51 extending into the hole in the casing 50, the flange 52 of the collar 51 being held down yby bolts 53. A tube 54 is `loustion chamber 15, is supcp screwed into the ange 52, to hold down packing 55, and this tube 54 carries a valve Y,

stem 56, having a valve 57 for closing or opening the nozzle 45. The upper end ot'- the tube 54 is closed around the valve stem 56 to form a bearing. Around the lower end is packing 55. 'lhe upper end of the stem 56 is squared at 58 for receiving a key, the stem 56 being threaded externally at 59, and the tubeI 54 being internally threaded. By unscrewing the bolts 53, all these elements can be removed jointly, including the nozzle 45. 57 lisl a bearing for the stem 56, screwed into the cage 47.

It is unnecessary -to enter into a detailed description of the remaining portions. I will simply identify the parts by reference numerals. These remaining elements consist of vanes 60, in the compressors held between disks 61, and rings 62; guides 63, cir cularly arranged around the vanes 60, and

. carried by the'shells 64, between the various stages of compression, packing bushings 65, for permittin the shaft 29, to etliclently 'pass through t e shells 64, without leakage; vanes 49, kopposite the nozzles 45, in the turbine, and similar packing, shells and passage wa s, as in the compressors.

will now explain the 'modus operandi.

l`By my invention, I am enabled to operate the ordinary steam turbine, without the usual accessories of boilers, injectors,`furnaces, chimneys and ,grates I employ directly the increased volume of gases produced by combus'- tion, the temperature of which may be as high as3,000 de reesF. As thistempera.ture,when produced y a massive burner would injure the'packing, joints, the plate iron, and the mechanism generally, I vcool this intensely hot expansive Huid to about degrees by the action lof compressed air, which although heated by compression, will together with the cooling produced by radiation, bring" `down the temperature to safe, practical limits.' This compressed cooler air need not bel constant, nor need it be variable with the load on the turbine, as the temperature of the expansive Huid need not be kept at any. particular constant; but the pressure of the air supplied to the combustible gas should be maintained approximately constant. j

Having explained the general principles of operation, I will point out their application by reference to the drawings.- The 12o bustion chamber 15, and the compressed air ame is located inside of the heat proof comfor coolingthe gases issuing from the com.-.

1 ports 68, arranged aroun the foot of the' combustion chamber 15, at the end of the large air ipe 14, from the air compressor 12. The lurner at 3, is also fedby gases under high pressure and velocity from the compressors 11, and 1.2. If it were not for com ustion of the lgases entering the cooling ed through the sion, produce the full working pow'er o thev vat ca acity,'and therefore the temperature chamber '2, of course the turbine would not operate, therefore the compressors would not be propelled. Assumin that the prime mover, considered as a W ole, is at rest and supposing that the valves 7, and 8, are open,

the gas passes through the valve 8 and'mingies with air coming -thrcugh the tube 10 and valve 6 so that the mixture may be ig:

nited in the chamber 15,. by means. of the sparking device 40. The turbine being unloaded, the heated products of combustion 'being increased in volume, and the air from the vpipe 14, coolingthe burned gases, the pressure of the final Huid entering the turbine is not materially increased, for it expands through the turbine, with sufficient m's oz'fva to accelerate both the turbine and the compressors, which latter of course, are

much less in capacity, although of compara-..

tively large diameter for the sake of higher compressing eiliciency. Consequentl the burner rapidly becomes a furnace o larga vo ume of expansive gases are greatly increased. Jointly this increase of tempera.- ture and volume by addition of heat, and power of. the turbine, and higher com res- 'order to graduate the regulation more desir- Aably, the valve at 16 is opened more as the 40v .ports 5, and 6, are more and more closed.` At the maximum openings of ports 5, and 6, the minimumA amount of coolin air is furnished, and yet the ressure o air in the tube 10, is maintaine at about the same pressure as the gas in the 'tube .'9, so that the proportion of air and gas at the burner will be correct for combustion within the combustion chamber 15.

l claim as my invention 1. Thecombination of an elastic fluid engine, an air compreor, a combustion chamber, a burner therein, a pipe for feeding a mixture of combustible gases to said burner and having two inlet' ports, valves controlling said ports, two tubes respectively communicating with said ports, a gas compressor communicating with one of said tubes, a pipe extending from the air compressor, and communicating with the other of said tubes and separately also beyond said combustion chamber at a point to meet the products of combustion from said combustion chamber, av valve across the last named pipe and means controlled by the load on said engine for regulating all of said valves,

.said chamber, .single stem vfor operatin said valves.

said means consisting offarod carryin all of said valves, and a governor connecte up with said rod and with said engine.

2. The combinationof anl elastic fluid engine, an air and a gas compressor driven thereby,ga combustion chamber, of suflicient capacity to permit of complete combustion before the products of combustion leave said chamber, pipes connecting said air and gas compressorsto said chamber for feeding compressed gas and air 'to saidl chamber, another pipe carrying compressed air tothe products of combustion.: at a point beyond a valve across each pipe, and a 3. The combination o an elastic fluid turbine, a cooling chamber-communicating` therewith, a combustionv chamber lwithin said cooling chamber, pipes for conveying gas and air to said chambers, rotary compressors coupled to said turbine Vand con- A nected with said pipes, valves across said pipes, and a governor driven by said engine for operating said vvalves only during change of load, and provided with means ltor holding said valves rigidl in the position to which said governor a justs them.

4. The combination of an elastic fluid engine, an air compressor, a gas compressor, a shaft common to the above named elements for permitting said compressors to be driven by a portion of the power of said engine, valves for maintaining the correct proportion of air and gas for complete and continuous combustion and adapted to be opened and closed or partly o ened and closed for varying the quantlty of the mixture of said air and gas without destroying the' proportion of the elements of said mixture, a third valve for admitting and gradually regulating the quantity of cooling compressed air, as an independent supply from that for mixing vwith said gas, a burner receiving and continuously combining said mixture, a combustion chamber in which said mixture begins and finishes its combustion, means forigniting said mixturey for continuous combustlon, a cooling air pine for saidcooling compressed air terminating beyond said combustion chamberl at a point where it opensv only to the products of complete combustion, a coollng chamber .in whichsaid pipe terminates, and of greater cross section than that of said combustion chamber through all the distance from the latters outlet to the inlet port of said engine, and an automatic regulator driven. ,b said engine, and operating each of the sai three valves for controlhng automatically the speed of the engine by controlling the quantity of gas and the quantity of air supplied both for combustion and cooling, the cross section of said cooling chamber being of the dimensions` stated to permit the admitted compressed cooling air to form a cooling' jacket for the Walls of the cooling chamber While at the same time in contact with the products of combustion, with which said cooling air gradually intermingles, the three i' valves in the position to Which the regulator adjusts them,l said regulator unlocking andengaging with said valves only during a change of load on the engine.

5.'v In an engine driven by a working fluid, the combination of means for supplying to the engine compressed air and gas, a burner for continuously combinin'gthe air and gas, means for supplying additional air .for reducing the temperature of and mingling with' the products of combustion, a centrifugal devicecontinually driven b said engine, and

, mechanism for causin sai device to be connected to and to regu atey both of the above named means at each variation of speed of said device.

6, In an engine driven by a Working Huid, the combination of means for supplying to the engine compressed air and gas, a burner for continuously combining the air and gas,

means for supplying additional air directly to the therewith and reducing the' ener same, a centrifugal device continua ly driven by said engine, and mechanism governed by roducts of combustion for mingling said centrifugal device for invariably maintaining both of said means disconnected from said device during all theJ time that the speed of the engine remains constant. v

`7. In combination w-ith an elastic-fluid engine, a gas compressor and an air-compressor driven thereby, a combustion-chamber, conduits leading from said gas-compressor and air-compressor respectively to said combus,`

tionchamber where the mixture is burned, a second conduit leading from said air-compressor, a chamber 2 into which said second conduit and said combustion-chamber debouchrseparate valves regulating the flow of air and gas in each of said conduits, and a regulating device driven by said engine and connected with said valves to simultaneously open and close the same, in accordance with the load upon said engine. i

8,. In combination with an elastic-fluid engine, a gascompressor and an air-compressor driven thereby, a combustion-chamber, conduits leading from said gas-compressor and air-compressor respectively to said combustion-chamber Where the mixture is burned, a second conduit leading from said air-compressor, a chamber 2 into Which said second conduit and said combustion-chamber debouch, sepa-rate valves regulating the iioW of air and gas in each of said conduits, and a of the ate said .valve or valves, a rotatin Mogen said regulating-devicev bein actuated by a rise above the normal spee thereof to connectwith said valves so as to move themv in one direction and by a fall below the normal speed to connect with said valves so as to move them in the oppositedirection. f

9. In combination with an elastic-fluid engine, ya gas-compressor and an air-compressor driven thereby, a combustion-chamber,

conduits leading from said gas-compressor i and air-compressor respectively to said combustion-chamber Where the mixture is burned, a second cond-uit leading from said l vair-compressor, a chamber 2 into vvhich Isaid second conduit and said combustion-cham so atingithe valves supplying said combustionl Achamber to close or open the same accord-f ing as said device rises above or falls belowr the normal speed;4 said device being also. 'j

connected with the valve regulating the flow of air in said second air-conduit so as toi'ao move it inan opposite sense, thatiis, to close it when saidl first named valves arey opened and vice versa. v

10. The combination of an elastic-fluid engine, a gas-compressor and an air-compressor driven thereby, a combustion-chamber, air and gas-conduits leadin from the respective compressors to Sai ber, a regulating valve or valves adapted to regulatel the flow 'of air and as insaid con- 10o duits, a reciprocating stem a apted to oper-` stem carrying a bevel-gear and having a t read-- ed connection with said reciprocating whereby the rotation of the former causes 105 y the longitudinal movement of the latten-a' shaft driven by said engine and at a speed44 Y proportional to that of said engine, a air of .bevel pinions splined upon said sha so as vto move longitudinally *thereon and en-I 1 '10V gaging with opposite sides of said bevel. gear but spaced apart in such manner that either alternatelyor neither can be en aged therewith, an independent air-con uit leading ,from said compressor, a chamber 2 into 115 which said last named conduit andA said combustion-chamber, debouch, and a valve` in said lastnamed conduit operated by'said reciprocating stem'.

11. The combination of an elastic-fluiden-4 120v` gine, a gas-compressor and an airfcompressor. driven thereby, a combustion-chamber, air l and gas-conduits leadin tive compressors to sai combustion-cham ber, a regulating valve or valves adapted to 12,5 g'

regulate the flow of air and as in said conduits, a reciprocating stem a apted to oper-` ate said valve Aor valves, a rotating stemy combustion-cham- Jfrom the respecy,

carrying a bevel-gear and having a thread- A' regulating-device driven by said engine and n ed connection .with said reciprocating stem whereby th'V rotation lof' theif-ormer causes signed my name this 18th dav of combustion-chamber debouch, and a valve in said last-named conduit operated by said reciprocating stem, said valve being so ai ranged as to open to admit more air when the fuel supply is being contracted and vice versa. 4 a

In testimony whereof l have hereunto CHARLES V. KRR Witnesses:

GEO. B. llVILoox, A. J. APPLEBEE.

. [Li s] June, 1904. 2o 

